Sabrina (Zoe Bell) is kidnapped by a secret society and finds herself in a deep dark dungeon along with dozens of other women. Each woman has been chosen along with a close loved one, and they are forced to fight to the death. Refuse to fight, and your daughter, husband, mother, etc. is killed. Lose and you die and they die as well. Only one winner will survive and survive to hopefully join the society. One by one the battles are televised in a sort of modern day gladiator battle to the death with bare knuckles.

I have been waiting for a long time to see this film. It’s been in my queue for a long time, and I finally caught it on Showtime. I was decidedly unimpressed. Fans of UFC and the Saw movies may enjoy this, but I found it extremely violent without much of a point. The battles take up the entire movie, and unlike the horrible 1970’s women in prison films, there is no point other than just women beating the crap out of each other with their fists. No clever twists and turns, not a single plot point, and the chatter between the ladies is drivel. The story is basically junk, and though the last 25 minutes are a bit more exciting and there is a bit of the ending, it’s not very well done and is a lot more of the same. There was no time spent on the plot, and no real excitement. It doesn’t really matter which of the girls wins, and there are no champions here. All in all I cannot recommend this unless you’re really a fan of girl on girl fist fights to the death or something, and I would not recommend this film to anyone as it has literally no redeeming qualities. What a waste of time!

Four couples are gathered together for a dinner party on a night when a comet is supposed to pass close by the Earth. When power goes out everywhere. But down the block is a house with lights on, and though it’s very unsettling, they determine that someone ought to go down and check it out and see why the lights are still on. But when they get there, it sets off a very strange set of events with cosmic repercussions, in this strange science fiction thriller.

Most of this movie the group will spend trying to figure out what the hell is going on. Surely you will be too. When it’s over, you’ll get the gist of what happened, but trying to understand the physics of it will blow your mind. When this comet passes, strange things certainly happen, and trying to figure out who is who is very difficult. I have been a fan all my life, of science fiction stories, movies, and TV shows. When 2001, A Space Odyssey came out, my friends and I spent weeks talking about the hidden meanings in this film. I have pondered the paradox of time travel, and the possibility of traveling to the stars, things lots of kids think about. But I must admit this is the most screwed up sci-fi story I have ever seen. This is worthy of Twilight Zone or Outer Limits. But the thing about this film that added a lot to my enjoyment of it is the fact that this is a very little B film. Independently made and produced, it was a labor of love for all the actors and crew, and it shows. With a little budget and a lot of imagination, they went out and created a very interesting, if convoluted story. Not for everyone, some people will be so confused they’ll give up, but if you’re a fan of hard core science fiction, give this film a chance as it’s truly one of a kind!

Miss Meadows (Katie Holmes) is a charming and gentle school teacher with one bad quality. She cannot stand bad manners, and if she see’s someone is guilty, she won’t hesitate to blow their brains out. Things are going along smoothly until she meets and falls for the local sheriff (James Bedge Dale) who is catching on to who is committing all the killings around time and tries to get her to stop. But when they go after her elementary school kids, Miss Meadows isn’t about to let that go down.

This is a very strange film. It’s very, very quirky, and is certainly a very dark comedy. But there’s something so outrageous about the whole thing, that it’s fascinating to watch. I don’t know what prompted Katie Holmes to take this role, as she had to know it was not going to bring her a lot of attention, but I imagine it was a great deal of fun to do. The town and the sets look like something out of Pleasantville or Leave It To Beaver, but Katie’s grace and charm is such a contrast to her unflinching killing that it is absurd in a good way. If you’re a fan of dark comedies, this is a really good one. I can imagine a lot of people will not understand it, and will be off put by the whole story line, yet those who can get the joke will enjoy this very unusual adventure through absurdity. Katie really does a great job in a most incredible role. I can recommend this to those who love the silly. It’s a very unusual movie and one that’s a lot of fun if you just go with it.

Paul (Stephen Dorff) is a research scientist. He’s about to leave on a trip to Africa, but his ex-wife calls to let him know his teenage daughter has been acting out, and needs some attention from her father. But Paul is taking his new girlfriend along to make it a vacation for her. So the daughter comes along, but their relationship is very strained. But when Paul is suddenly killed, the only means of survival for the two of them is to work together, and try to walk out of the African desert together.

Many people did not like this film very much. I’m not sure why, because for me it was a suspenseful survival thriller. The thought of being stranded in the desert with the intense heat, wild animals and lack of water and supplies is horrifying. The acting is very good, and the locations are stunningly barren. With a great deal of suspense and danger keeping us on the edge of our seat, this was an exciting film to watch. It does start out slowly, and it appears to be an “absent father, bratty kid” melodrama, but it quickly gets going and turns into an exciting and suspenseful adventure. After the first 30 minutes or so, the movie moves along quickly. The characters are believable, and the story is well told. The bad guys are really bad. I enjoyed this a good deal and recommend it as a nice action adventure.